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30th November 2022

Feast of St.  Andrew - Apostle

READ: (Rom 10: 9-18; Matt 4: 18-22)

REFLECT: Proclaim and believe, respond to God’s initiatives and bring people close to God…

Dear friends, today along with the Holy Mother Church we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew, the apostle. St. Andrew is from Bethsaida, just twenty miles east of Nazareth but he lived as a fisherman in Capernaum. His brother is Simon Peter another apostle of Christ and a firm pillar of the church too. It was Andrew the apostle who was called by Christ to be one of the first disciples.

In the Gospel of Matthew (4: 18-20) and Mark (1: 16-18), we hear that as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Andrew and Simon Peter fishing, invites them be fishers of men. In the Gospel of Luke, Andrew’s name is not initially mentioned but explicitly at the time when Jesus calls Simon Peter to be fishers of men, until the name appears in Lk 6:14 where Jesus chooses the twelve apostles.

However, in the Gospel of John we have a different narration altogether that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by, John the Baptist speaks of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” It was then Andrew and another made the decision to follow Jesus. Also, we see in the gospel of John that Andrew points out and directs people to Jesus. His own brother Simon Peter, the apostle was brought to Jesus by Andrew (Jn 1: 41-42); the Greeks wished to see Jesus, Philip and Andrew lead them to Jesus (Jn 12: 20-22) and the young boy who had loaves of bread and fish for feeding the multitudes was told by Andrew (Jn 6: 1-13).

According to Christian tradition, Andrew went on to preach the Good News around the shores of the Black Sea and throughout what is now Greece and Turkey. He was martyred by crucifixion in Patras. He was crucified on a cross form known as X-shaped cross. Today this is commonly referred to as St. Andrew’s cross. It is also believed that Andrew requested to be crucified this way, because he considered himself unworthy to be crucified as the same way and on the same type of cross as Jesus was crucified.

Today, St. Andrew is regarded as the Patron saint of fisher folks and singers. He is also the patron saint to several countries and cities like Scotland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Patras. So based on the readings of the feast day and the life-style of St. Andrew, I would like to share with you three points of reflection.

1. Proclaim and believe:

The words of the beginning sentence from letter to the Romans in the first reading give us a glimpse in what way one can be part of the saving act of Jesus. It is by confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. Yes, the confession of our faith we do it by preaching or proclaiming to the nations and to the ends of the earth that Jesus is Lord and God and believing in heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead and so God would raise each one of us from our own death and give us new life in the Lord is done by our firm faith in Jesus. The important aspect of being called as apostles was to confess that Jesus is  Lord and witness to the world by a  belief that  God has raised Jesus from the dead and therefore, God would raise us mortals too from death and  give us new life. Thus confession of Jesus is Lord and belief in the resurrection from the dead will become a foundational layer for all to be saved by God.

Today, we need to have both the aspects in life to be an apostle or follower of Christ. It is not only enough that we proclaim and do not believe or we believe and do not proclaim. Both the aspect need to go hand and hand with each other and express the deep faith in Jesus by word and deed. Most of us are good at proclaiming and believing but not as practicing Catholics. We restrict ourselves and are merely satisfied with the proclamation but practicing the faith at times is watered down or not taken seriously. Because we expect others to change but we don’t change; we expect others to practice but in reality we don’t practice; therefore, there is no correspondence between what we proclaim or believe or live. But if we look at the life and the life-style of the apostles of Christ, in a special way St. Andrew, he proclaimed what he believed and believed what he proclaimed. Similar should be our approach and attitude too, proclaiming and believing  in Christ’s birth, ministry, passion, death and resurrection and thus living Christ in our lives, manifesting in the life that we live in word and deed.

2. Respond to God’s initiative:

As it is said, “Faith is man’s response to God’s initiative.” Yes, we know for sure that the apostle Andrew was a man of faith and commitment, in a way he responded to the calling of Jesus. That’s what we read in today’s gospel reading from Matthew that along with his brother Simon Peter, leaving the nets, i.e., an aid for their profession and the only bread-winner of their livelihood, Andrew followed Jesus. Yes, responding to one’s call would imply that either we are alert and awake, prompt or immediate in giving answer to the question or the call we receive, leaving everything behind there and then to follow Jesus. The response to the calling of Jesus was immediate and prompt from both Peter and Andrew. It shows the positive sides of life and their willingness to follow Jesus and take part in all that Jesus was going to do and  was about to undertake. Probably, they thought they could obtain a great favor or have a glorious time, because of the expectation of Messiah in a glorious way was thought of by Jewish people at that time.

But at a later point of time, the encounter with Jesus that they had and the presence of Jesus with them, they changed their perspectives of life, they could perceive that life is not so easy to be with Jesus and participate in his mission, because it needed a confidence in God and a commitment to the task. The commitment and confidence that they exhibit in God’s works, after the death of Jesus is commendable. In a special way, the life of St. Andrew the apostle shows the commitment to the task and the faith he had in Christ. According to the Christian tradition, it is said that St. Andrew, after the ascension of Jesus, he went preaching in Scythia, southern Russia and thereafter moved to Greece, preached in the cities of Thrace, Macedonia, Corinth and finally Patras, a city of Achaia where he was martyred.

The life St. Andrew lived was just a response to the initiatives of Jesus at the initial stage of his calling, which is exemplary and praise worthy. Today, most of us fail to realize the initiatives of God’s call and fail to respond to the initiatives of God in our lives. We expect the initiatives of God to be grand and great in a miraculous or glorious way. But we fail to see or understand that the initiatives of God could be even from the ordinary ways of life. Persons, situations, things in greater measure or least measure don’t matter. But what matters is our perception and the sharp grasp to the initiatives of God both in ordinary and extra-ordinary ways. God takes initiatives even today, let’s have an open ear to listen and a open heart to accept and welcome, to respond and make a room for him in our hearts.

3. Bring people to Christ:

Bringing people to Christ is one of the fundamental works and missions of an apostle. One brings people to Christ either for transformation or makes them, who can transform the lives of the other, bringing them closer to Christ. The following three references in the bible would prove that Andrew, the apostle was one such person who brought persons to Christ for an encounter with Jesus.

Firstly, in Jn John 1:40-42 we hear that it was Andrew who brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus saying, “We have found the Messiah.” Secondly, in Jn 6:8-9 when Jesus wants to feed the multitudes and asked the disciple to find,  it was  Andrew, who said to Jesus, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” Thirdly, in Jn 12:20-22, when some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast, came to Philip, asking to meet Jesus, it was both Andrew and Philip who took them to Jesus. So in all these three references we see that Andrew the apostle points others to Jesus Christ. Apostles are pointers to lead people to Christ for a new experience and for the newness of life. Pointing others towards Jesus, instead of pointing to oneself shows the sincerity and truthfulness of persons. It just shows that Andrew the apostle acknowledged Jesus as Saviour and Lord, therefore, he points out people to Christ. St. Andrew the apostle regarded himself as a point of reference and not the point itself.

Today, we need to introspect whether we become point of reference or point itself. As apostles and Disciples of Christ we are not the point but just a point of reference in the vineyard of the Lord. Wherever we work or whatever we do in the name of God, the due credit is to be given to God, all should be directed to God, because Jesus is the final point. Today most of us miss the point (Christ) or make others miss the point i.e., Christ, because of our self-promotion, selfishness, pride, insincerity, and arrogance etc. At times we take credit for ourselves for what we are not and for what we have not worked for. We even forget all that we are and have not our own but sheer God’s providence. Today let’s realize that ultimately, the work of an apostle is to point others or lead others to Christ and not to oneself. So let us be like Andrew the apostle to point or direct people to Christ, to find new life and deep experience of God’s love and closeness.  

RESPOND:

Do we proclaim what we believe and practice what we proclaim and believe about Christ?

Do we realize and respond to the initiatives of God in our lives both in great and small things?

Do we point or direct others to Christ to oneself?

Let us practice what we proclaim and believe, realize and respond to the initiatives of God and point others to Christ. Amen.

“Our life is no longer ours but belongs to the one who gained it for us by his death. We should live no longer for ourselves but to him: not in ourselves, but in him; not for ourselves but for him.” (St. Francis De Sales, TLG, Book III, Chapter – 8, p. 233)

Wish you a happy feast. God bless us all.

Live Jesus